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Dinner for Schmucks
| screenplay = | based on = | starring = | music = Theodore Shapiro | cinematography = Jim Denault | editing = | studio = |BIG Pictures}} | distributor = Paramount Pictures | released = | runtime = 114 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $69 million | gross = $86.9 million }} 'Dinner for Schmucks' is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Jay Roach. The film is an adaptation of the 1998 French comedy ''Le Dîner de Cons and was written by David Guion and Michael Handelman. It stars Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, who had previously teamed up in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The film was released theatrically on July 30, 2010 and grossed $86 million worldwide. The film received mixed reviews from critics, although Zach Galifianakis won the Comedy Award for "Best Comedy Actor – Film" for his role as Therman Murch.The Comedy Awards The elaborate mouse dioramas and "mouseterpieces" were created by The Chiodo Brothers. Production The budget for the film was split between the distributor Paramount Pictures, as well as DreamWorks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment. The production budget was $69 million, but with tax credits the cost came in at $62.7 million. Filming of the dinner scene took place at the same location as was used for Wayne Manor in the [[Batman (TV series)|1960s Batman television series]]. Dinner for Schmucks is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons (literally, "The Dinner of Idiots"). The film retains many familiar elements of the original, with the basic plot, including the involvement of the taxation authorities and the love triangle around the main character Tim. In the remake, however, Tim is made much more sympathetic (this is the first dinner he has participated in, and he is not in fact having an affair or deliberately cheating on his taxes), and the actual dinner is shown. Director Roach describes the film as "inspired by" the original rather than a remake. Title Debate ensued about the title's usage of the Yiddish word schmucks which is a mild cultural insult similar to "idiot" which technically refers to 'male genitals.' Debbie Schlussel asked whether the title should have been Dinner for Schlemiels as it would better describe the clumsy character played by Steve Carell. Responding in The New York Times, critic Michael Cieply determined that the intent was to be ambiguous as to which of the two main characters, played by Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, was the intended idiot. In The Forward, Laura Hodes suggested that 'schmucks' correctly referred instead to the behavior of the film's antagonists, the bosses of Rudd's character. 'Schmucks' may be fitting after all because the original French play and movie, Le Dîner de cons, which was originally translated as The Dinner Game . Release Dinner for Schmucks was pushed back a week to July 30, 2010, to avoid competition with Salt and Inception. Variety magazine, June 9, 2010 Marketing As part of promoting the film, the website Funny or Die featured videos of Jemaine Clement in character as Kieran Vollard. The film's first trailer debuted with Date Night, Death at a Funeral, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. The second trailer was shown before select screenings of The A-Team, Get Him to the Greek, Grown Ups, and Inception. Reception Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 189 reviews, with an average rating of 5.32/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "It doesn't honor its source material – or its immensely likable leads – as well as it should, but Dinner for Schmucks offers fitfully nourishing comedy." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4, and wrote: "The genius of this version depends on the performance by Steve Carell, who plays Barry Speck as a man impervious to insult and utterly at peace with himself. He's truly a transcendent idiot." Box office Dinner for Schmucks made $8.4 million on its first day, ranking number two at the box office, behind Inception. The film earned $23.5 million on its opening weekend, placing it second overall for the weekend of July 30 to August 1. Dinner for Schmucks ultimately grossed $73 million in North America and $13.4 million internationally, for a total of $86.4 million worldwide. The film was released in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2010, and opened on #2, behind The Last Exorcism. Home media Dinner for Schmucks was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on January 4, 2011. Accolades In 2010, Steve Carell was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Actor for his performance as Barry Speck. References External links * * * * * Category:2010s screwball comedy films Category:American remakes of French films Category:American screwball comedy films Category:American slapstick comedy films Category:American films Category:DreamWorks Pictures films Category:English-language films Category:Films about animal rights Category:Films about human rights Category:Films directed by Jay Roach Category:Films set in California Category:Paramount Pictures films Category:Reliance Entertainment films Category:Spyglass Entertainment films Category:Films scored by Theodore Shapiro